


"I will take her back in a heartbeat"

by emcee857



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: 2012, And after some time an old friendship comes back into focus, Diary, F/F, Los Angeles, Pirates, Reunion, The girls cut ties with Frank and decided to focus on school (and each other) instead, The really bad stuff never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-02 01:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15786159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emcee857/pseuds/emcee857
Summary: Chloe and Rachel graduated from Blackwell, and moved to Los Angeles to study law (Rachel) and chemistry (Chloe). Rachel with an official scholarship, Chloe with a scholarship from the "Amber foundation" (ie Rachel essentially blackmailing her dad on account of what he did).Rachel heard Chloe talk about her best friend Max so often, she decides to set up a reunion, four years after the separation between Chloe and Max.





	1. Reunion

**Los Angeles, September 2012**

Chloe looked wistfully out of the window of the Los Angeles apartment that was now the home of both Rachel and herself. Autumn rain was pouring down continuously for several hours already. "Three months", she thought. "Three months into my dream and I still can't get myself to believe it is all real". There had been many things on her mind this day. Rachel as usual, her deceased dad who would have been so proud of her for making it to university, homework assignments, the misery she had left behind in Arcadia Bay and something else. Something that had been Rachel's idea. Chloe's focus was now on that something else.

Chloe had mixed feelings of anxiety, melancholy and nervousness. The moment she had started to believe would never come, was now less than half a day away.

Four years.

Four years since that day of tragedy, the sudden death of her beloved father.

Four years since the start of her descent into depression, bitterness and misery. But she was still alive, and things had gotten a lot better.

Four years since the departure of her best friend.

Four years since the last contact between her and that best friend. That last contact being a text message that was never answered.

Just one night's sleep, and one trip to the airport. That's how close it was.

When Rachel had first suggested it, a few months earlier, Chloe had not known how to react. Did she even want to go along with it? Had too much time passed? Was she still angry about being abandoned and not having any of her messages replied to? Chloe remembered asking for time to think it over.

Rachel had been patient. She had chipped away at Chloe's depression for over two years and bit by bit, Chloe had felt her confidence restored, and her happiness regained. But the anxiety was still there. And so was the fear of abandonment. Some things just don't disappear overnight. But things can get better, and in this case they were definitely much better than they had been. Chloe finally consented to Rachel's idea, and the latter had set everything up.

Chloe felt a hand on her left shoulder. A voice whispering in her ear.

"How do you feel, Chloe?"

Chloe looked to her left. There she was. Rachel Amber. That smile. That presence.

Rachel, the girl who had saved her in every way possible. Probably the only reason she was still alive.

Rachel, whom she had helped overcome her own struggles regarding the truth about her family, her district attorney father's lies and her birth mother.

Rachel, who had given her the money to pay off Frank Bowers, giving them the opportunity to cut ties with him forever. They hadn't seen him for more than two years, and that felt like at least a million years less than they would like.

Rachel, who had dragged her through school, inspiring her to improve her behavior as well as her grades.

The original letter was still in Chloe's possession. The letter of recommendation that Mrs. Grant had written to support Chloe's application for entry into university. The letter that principal Wells had co-signed. He had probably just been glad to be rid of her, but nevertheless Chloe appreciated the gesture.

"I'm fine", Chloe replied. She knew it was a lie. She also knew that Rachel knew it was a lie. A little lie of convenience.

"You do still want to go ahead with it?"

"Of course I do, Rach. I'm just feeling... I dunno… strange... I don't know how to describe it."

"I just want to see you happy, Chloe. I love it when you smile."

Chloe displayed an awkward smile, Rachel could see there was pain behind it.

"I want to smile, Rach. But I can't stop thinking about all of this. I wish I hadn't thrown away the diary I used to keep. I know I wrote some bad things about her, but I didn't mean any of it. I never did mean any of it."

Rachel reached inside her pocket for a tissue and wiped away the tear that was rolling down Chloe's cheek.

Chloe sniffled and looked towards her blonde girlfriend.

"You know, I want to be best friends with her again."

"I believe you will be, C. I have a very good feeling about this."

"I want to believe that too", Chloe said whilst wiping away another tear.

"Let's go to bed, we need to get up early to be at the airport on time and I think you're gonna need your beauty sleep."

"You're not gonna be jealous when I put my arms around her?"

"Of course not, miss Price, I know what she means to you."

Not much later, the two young women were in bed, the lights were out, nothing but the light of the full moon visible.

"One more thing, Rach."

"What is it?"

"I want to tell you about one specific piece I wrote in my ex-diary. This particular bit I can remember practically word for word."

"Would you tell me what it was?"

"Yeah. It went like something like this."

 

> _Max Caulfield, MIA. Ex-best friend extraordinaire. This artsy motherfucker loves photography more than life itself and definitely more than me. She even uses old instant cameras. It's probably not healthy for anyone to be that stuck in the past, but who am I to tell people how to live their lives?_

> _When we were kids we would dress up like pirates and eat ice cream and write and draw these stupid comic books where we had powers and saved people and shit._

> _Then my dad died, and her dad got some job up north and she moved away to Seattle. It was probably the moment when I needed her the most, and she bailed. Thanks, Max, for teaching me that I can't rely on anyone. I mean it. Life lesson learned._

> _The worst part is that even though we haven't spoken in months, even though she habitually ignores my texts so much that I've just stopped trying, even though I know, deep down, that she doesn't care about me anymore and that she probably has new friends up in fucking Seattle... I still miss her._

> _If she came back tomorrow and said "Hey Chloe, want to dress up like pirates and be stupid together?"_

> _I would take her back in a heartbeat._

> _In a heartbeat._

 

"Chloe, tomorrow you will."


	2. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max reunite. Rachel smiles.
> 
> Chloe tells all. Rachel helps. Max is stunned.
> 
> Chloe, Rachel and Max plan for the future.

_Chloe and Rachel POV_

The waiting was killing Chloe. The arrivals board at Los Angeles airport mentioned the flight from Seattle having an hour's delay, on account of some emergency with another plane.

Rachel was highly aware of Chloe's nervousness. The two continued to hold hands, Rachel making sure that Chloe knew she was there for her. Chloe's breathing was highly audible despite all the usual airport noise. Rachel smiled, Chloe awkwardly smiled back. Still not entirely used to the idea of her and Rachel potentially being a _permanent_ thing.

It was pretty busy for a regular morning. People came and went, people walked by them without even noticing them, a few people did briefly look at them but they were treated pretty much like everyone else was, being mostly ignored by the masses. Chloe didn't mind.

"Look Chloe, the board says her plane has landed".

Chloe knew what it meant. They were on the clock. Things could go very fast now. Four years almost to the day had passed, and all that was left was maybe half an hour, maybe less.

"I can't do it Rachel, I know I promised, but I'm gonna fail so spectacularly."

"That's perfectly okay, baby. Like I said yesterday, I know what it means to you."

Chloe sniffled.

"Thank you, Rach. I'm really gonna need those tissues."

Chloe sniffled some more. Rachel just wrapped her arms around Arcadia Bay's former pirate queen, feeling Chloe's breathing stabilize somewhat.

 

_Max Caulfield POV_

This was it. Time to face _her_. Max once more studied some of the many pictures Chloe had sent her the previous days. A girl with blue hair should be easy to spot, but upon reclaiming her travel bag, and exiting the security zone, Max did not see her. Nor the blonde girl that was likely accompanying her.

Oh wait.

That last minute gate change. The plane circling the airport for an hour longer than it should have. Max quickly rummaged through her bag to find her ticket. It did not mention anything about which gate it was supposed to land. She would have to search.

Oh wait.

 _Of course_ , Max thought. _I have her phone number_.

That would work.

_Let's see, address book, yeah, there it is._

Max took a deep breath. But just as she was about to press the _call_ button, she saw something. Or rather someone. Someone and another someone.

A blue haired girl.  _I'll be damned if that isn't Chloe._

A girl with long blonde hair.  _She kinda looks like the Chloe I used to know, well from behind anyway, the long hair thing, and she's pretty. They're holding hands. What is this feeling inside of me? It's so confusing._

Max felt uncomfortable. The two girls before Max were both staring at one of the many exits from which airplane passengers were emerging. They probably expected her to come from that direction.

_Great, now I'll basically have to sneak up to them._

It kind of seemed rude to Max. But the approach would have to be made mostly from behind, as there was little room to navigate another path, unless she wanted to back up and circle around the waiting area.

_No, four years were enough, way too long as it was, no more waiting. The direct approach would have to do._

Less than three yards away. One more deep breath.

_Okay Max, you are about to find out what Chloe Price thinks of you._

Max cleared her throat. She felt her own heartbeat, more than ever before. The shy girl inside her wanted to just stand there and hope that they would notice her, saving her the embarrassment of having to start the conversation. No, the silence had to end. Right here, right now.

Summoning up all her courage, Max heard her own voice. "Hello? Chloe? Is that you?"

 

_Reunion_

For a second Chloe was standing there. Frozen. Unable to move, speak or even breathe. That voice sounded vaguely familiar. She looked at Rachel. Rachel simply nodded and squeezed Chloe's hand a little harder. Chloe slowly turned around.

That face, it looked very familiar. A different haircut but not  _that_ different. Taller, obviously, but still clearly less tall than Chloe herself, and probably slightly less tall than Rachel. Chloe opened her mouth but no sounds emerged.

Rachel was slightly amused at Chloe seeming to impersonate a fish. She gave her blue girlfriend a little push. Things happened automatically from there. The blue voice restored itself.

"Max? Max? MAX??? OMG MAX!!! It really is YOU! Come here... come!!!"

Rachel wasn't sure what happened first, Chloe bursting into tears or Chloe's arms wrapping themselves around the brunette who had just arrived to meet them. The famous Max Caulfield she had heard so much about.

Max felt Chloe's arms squeeze her tight. Wowser, Chloe was strong. Chloe's head was on Max' shoulder, and she felt Chloe's tears rain down on her. She hadn't even noticed her own tears making their presence felt.

"Chloe... I'm... I'm... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean... I'm sorry..."

"No... no, Max, don't. It's over now. No recriminations. You're back... that's what matters, I missed you so damn much... don't apologize... we're both responsible... I'm just so happy to see you again... I never thought..."

"I-I barely know what to say, Chloe. And you... you look different... yet I can tell it's you."

Rachel meanwhile had gotten infected with the watery eyes virus that seemed to have affected the two other persons nearest to her. However, she maintained the distance she felt she needed to maintain, even if it wasn't much more than a yard. It would be rude to interfere with this reunion, and inappropriate.

"Max... I just... it's like I only saw you yesterday. You've changed too, though after all these years I can see you're still Max Caulfield. I mean that in a good way. I'll probably keep repeating myself the next four days, but I just missed you so damn much."

"You don't hate me then? For being a shitty friend?"

"Come on, I could never hate you, Max, and you know it."

Then it dawned on Chloe. There were introductions to be made.

Wiping away her last tears with the tissue in her hands, Chloe looked in Rachel's direction. Rachel smiled at her, causing Chloe to swoon as she so often did. Max noticed.

"Max, I want you to meet my girlfriend. This is Rachel Amber. Rachel, meet my childhood best friend and fellow pirate, Max Caulfield."

Max looked in Rachel's direction. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Rachel".

"No more than I am, Max".

Max was immediately impressed with the way that Rachel moved. So gracious. And the way she dressed. Exquisite. She could see why Chloe was obviously so smitten with this girl. Max's confused feelings played up again.

Chloe addressed the two others. "You know, let's go to the apartment, where we can talk some more, in private, just the three of us."

Rachel noticed that Chloe was positively beaming with joy. It made her happy too. Chloe picked up Max' travel bag and asked Rachel and Max to follow her.

 

_Apartment_

Chloe showed Max the guest bedroom that had been prepared the previous evening. A short while later the three girls were sitting on the couch, next to each other, with Chloe in the middle.

After a few minutes of joyful but almost meaningless talk about the weather, Max' trip, the apartment and the ride from the airport, Chloe set out her ideas for the next four days. They would go out on Saturday night, _girls only night_ at their favorite nightclub, and the rest of the time would be spent showing Max the sights, and talking about the past. That was one thing Chloe felt could not be avoided. She suggested they start immediately, just to get it out of the way.

"Do you want to begin, mighty Max? And just to make it clear once more, I want no recriminations. The shit that happened in the past should stay there. We'll talk about our respective histories, and then look to the future."

"I agree. But to start, if I have to be honest, my life hasn't been very interesting, Chloe. Four years of going to school, getting grades and all that. I'm generally doing well. This will be my last year in Seattle. I'm looking to go and study photography or something like that. There are many options. Blackwell itself has just started a new photography program, I might join that. There are good programs available right here in Los Angeles. I haven't decided yet."

"Good, maybe we can talk you into coming here. And... what about your parents, are they still happily married?"

"I guess you could say that. I have no reason to assume otherwise. We're just another boring middle class family."

"Don't demean yourself, Max. I was very fond of your folks."

"And they were fond of you, they practically considered you to be my big sister. They were excited when I told them I was gonna meet you again. They asked me to give you their warmest wishes."

Rachel preferred just to be listening along. It was good to see the two childhood friends reconnecting. They were certainly off to a good start. Rachel liked to see Chloe happy, and to see her smile. Chloe was clearly ecstatic to be reunited with her friend. Rachel was not surprised.

Chloe felt Rachel's hand grasp hers, and welcomed the grasp. It felt comforting. This little world, this apartment, this couch, her girlfriend and her best friend once more, it was possibly the safest and happiest space Chloe had been in ever since her dad died. Happiness restored, sadness, bitterness and depression overcome, well as much as it could be. Some things simply don't go away overnight. But for now, all of that was a distant memory.

Time passed very rapidly as Chloe was firing one question after another at Max. Max was amazed at how Chloe didn't seem to feel any sort of resentment towards her. But maybe she shouldn't wonder about it. Chloe had always been highly forgiving.

"So Max, are you seeing anyone? Maybe a boyfriend that you haven't told me about yet? Or maybe... _ooh la la_ … a lady friend? And yes, I think you knew I was gonna ask."

 _That was so Chloe_ , Max thought. She could sometimes be so direct. Her heart was in the right place, though, it always had been. That was clearly something she inherited from her father, William. Chloe resembled him about as much as a daughter could resemble her father. Chloe's mother Joyce was different. She and William had obviously loved each other very much, but Chloe didn't seem to have inherited a lot of Joyce's character, except maybe a degree of stubbornness. Max's thoughts continued. _Chloe was obviously still a daddy's girl._ Max had to grin a little when a certain thought passed through her mind.  _The thought about just who was the daddy these days..._

"What's so funny Max? Wanna let me in on the secret?"

"Nothing much, Chloe. I was just thinking about how happy I am for you that you've got a girlfriend you obviously love very much, I can tell that. It's quite remarkable."

"True, Max, and I'm happy that you noticed. I do love Rachel very much. She is my angel and she saved me."

Rachel pitched in. "And I love you, Chloe, more than anything, you saved me too."

 _Wowser_ , Max thought. There was a deep connection between these girls. Then she replied. "I'm sure you will tell me all about it. As for me, I haven't really figured things out yet, not definitively anyway. I haven't been involved with any guys... or girls if you must know."

Chloe winked at her old friend. "Well, Max, who knows? I'm getting some good vibes from you here. Anyway, you want to know how Rachel and I met?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like to hear that."

"Now, Max, I think it's best if I told you the whole story of my life these last four years. That way you will know what I think you have the right to know. But before I begin, I want to say this very clearly. I do not want you to blame yourself for anything that I'm about to tell you. The things that happened, the bad stuff I mean, none of it is your fault. I forbid you to feel guilty about it. I love you Max, and let's get this out of the way today, so we can focus on the future afterwards, agreed?"

Max looked at Chloe, wondering exactly _why_ the warning. No blame game, that was good. But still, Max did feel at least a little bit awkward about the situation, as she was sure Chloe was too. On her own part in the story that was about to come, or rather the lack of her own part in it, Max established her thought process very quickly. _You can't ghost someone for four years and not harbor some feelings of guilt. Max was already expecting to hear one or two things that would be unpleasant, but as Chloe had clearly stated, it had to be discussed, so the chapter could afterwards be closed and they could take things from there._

Rachel had meanwhile put more drinks and snacks on the table. The blonde girl was pleased to see the gesture appreciated. Chloe above all took advantage of all the goodness laid out in front of her. After finishing her drink, Chloe cleared her throat.

"Okay, Batmax, ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, captain Bluebeard."

"Well... I think you remember the day my mom came home to tell me that my dad was gone. As you know, I did not take the news very well. I went to my room and refused to see anyone for weeks on end, emerging only for the funeral and to see you and your parents drive off for Seattle. When I went back to my room, I found your tape recorder."

"I put that there the previous day, when you were briefly downstairs. I wanted to tell you face to face, but for some reason, I couldn't. I thought that this was the next best thing."

"Max, I must have listened to that tape more than a hundred times. I listened until one day I could listen no more, and in a fit of anger I threw the thing across the room. It broke. But I still have it. Things started going from bad to worse. I was angry at the world. At my dad for dying, at my mom for not preventing it, at you for leaving, at that asshole of a driver who failed to give right of way to my dad, at everyone basically. You remember that I used to do pretty well at school, right?"

"Yeah, you were great at math and chemistry."

"Well, that basically ended the day my dad died. I didn't do any homework, started skipping classes, and basically misbehaved all the way through. At first my mom and principal Wells gave me some leeway, but eventually they ran out of patience and started demanding I go back to  _normal_ , as if they wanted me to pretend nothing had happened. My mom was worried about me so she sent me to some kind of therapist. All I remember from the few sessions I had with that guy, is that he basically wanted me to start writing letters to my dead dad. Which is why he quickly became my ex-therapist. Mom wasn't happy when I told her I refused to see this guy again."

"I can imagine, I mean, what kind of asshole would ask you to do things like that?"

"That's why you're my friend, Max. That's why I feel good about having you back in my life. You understand me, as Rachel does. You two are not as different as you would initially seem to each other. Now where was I? Oh yeah. It took less than two months for my mom to meet someone new. The guy who would eventually become my step-dad. David Madsen, totally paranoid military guy and douchebag extraordinaire. Mom moved him in pretty quickly and it didn't take long for the two of them to form a front against me. She married him not long after I met Rachel, but first I need to explain what happened in between. I started hanging out with the skater boys."

"To be honest, Chloe, I'm having trouble imagining you with any of the boys we used to know."

"Yeah, you'd be right about that. Except that the skaters were basically the only people willing to tolerate me. You remember Justin Williams?"

"That name sounds familiar, isn't he the one who did all the cool tricks with his skateboard and his bike? Bit of a showoff?"

"The very same. He and his friends were the only ones not constantly reminding me about my dad dying, like so many of Blackwell's assholes loved to do. Justin and I would talk, and I liked that he didn't judge and just let me vent. He also introduced me to the art of smoking weed. He had a stash hidden in his own room, and I was there from time to time. And one day..."

"Wait... what? You're not saying... no way, Chloe. You and Justin?"

"Well, what can I say, Maximus Prime? We were both high as fuck and I suppose it just happened. He didn't force me, nor did I feel I owed him. Like I said, it just happened. The start of my boy-toy phase. I've told Rachel all about it, she already knows."

Max saw Rachel nod. Rachel smiled at Max and addressed Chloe. "I'm still a little jealous, C."

"You're still my first _girl_ , Rach. But I hadn't met you yet so..."

"I suppose you could have done worse, Chloe". Max was unable to suppress a bit of a laugh after saying it. From what she recalled Justin was not unattractive.

"It was not unpleasant at all. Though it wasn't exactly special either. And it happened a few times over a period of three months or so. But then it stopped. Justin and I stayed friends. We're still connected on social media. I would have probably still have done it even if he hadn't given me weed. Also, I think he would still have given me weed if we hadn't done it. Not long afterwards, I met someone else. His name was Eliot. Eliot Hampden. You won't remember him because when he arrived in Arcadia Bay, you were already gone."

"You're right, Chloe, I don't remember ever hearing that name before."

"Be glad. Though he was very nice to me at first. Taking me to see concerts and movies. You have to remember, mom and I didn't have much money after the insurance fucked us over, those assholes. And David Madsen, my step-douche, didn't have a job until Skip the security dude left school to start his own band. I kept accepting Eliot's invitations because it seemed like a good way to kill time and see concerts and stuff that I could have never afforded to go and see otherwise. And he never asked for anything in return. Well, not immediately. One time I went to see him in his dorm room, and he wasn't there yet but the door was open. I found poems he had written, they were intensely beautiful yet also somewhat creepy. It took me a while to realize they were about me."

"Aww... that's so romantic, Chloe."

"I can't blame you for thinking it, Supermax. But in the end, I failed to notice the level of his obsession with me. One day, after we'd gone to another concert, he invited me over to his dorm room to stay the night because the weather was so bad. I agreed because I didn't feel like walking home and getting soaking wet. I saw him look at me and I knew what he wanted. I guess I got tired of finding excuses to _not_ do it with him. So, it happened. This time I wasn't high, but in hindsight I wish I had been. It was the most awkward experience I've ever had. I didn't feel  _anything_. And when I woke up the next morning, I knew that _this_ wasn't me. I finally started to admit to myself that maybe I wasn't into that sort of thing at all, at least... how do I formulate this... not with _boys_. I quickly got dressed and left before he woke up."

"Wowser. That must have been pretty weird."

"It sure was, Max. I actively friendzoned him afterwards, but he didn't get the message. Always kept asking me out, and I kept making excuses as to why I couldn't accept. I felt guilty about it at the time. Not long afterwards, this must have been May 2010, I met Rachel. Well, I had seen her before, and I did kind of fantasize about her, but never took any action."

Rachel smiled at Chloe. "And all the while you were seeing those two guys. It was impossible to get you to notice me, Chloe. I feared that you didn't care very much for the image I had constructed for myself, and I thought you might not be  _into girls_ as I hoped you would be. As I knew I was. I had never thought of acting on it before I met you, because I wanted to protect my image and my dad's reputation. So, Max, what happened was is that I devised a way to meet Chloe and hang out with her."

Max listened with open mouth. All of that, and Chloe wasn't even halfway telling her story of the last four years. She nodded at Rachel, and eagerly anticipated the part of the story she thought would be most interesting.

"Chloe's favorite band, Firewalk, was set to perform at the Old Mill. I knew Chloe would probably go, but I had to made sure she would. I enlisted the help of Justin, whom we just discussed, and someone named Steph Gingrich. I asked them to keep asking Chloe to go to the concert. What they didn't tell Chloe is that I would be there too The idea was to finally meet the infamous Chloe Price, the queen of absence, face to face."

"Max, Rachel just mentioned Steph Gingrich whom you probably don't know. Steph is hella awesome. You know that I actually _came out_ to Steph before telling anyone else that I knew I was gay? Steph was basically Blackwell's resident gaylord as well as Dungeon Master. _Out and proud_ , as they say. She wanted to make a move on Rachel but didn't on account of her knowing that Rachel was interested in me. She listened to my bitching, gave me advice, and of course pushed me to go to the Old Mill where she knew I would meet Rachel. Above all, she made me feel comfortable about who I thought I was."

"Chloe and I owe a lot to Steph. And the interesting thing is, she actually lives not too far from here. She's into her second year at the same university Chloe and I attend."

"You might meet her on Saturday, Supermax. She's usually around. Back to the Old Mill, things started happening very fast from then onwards. I met Rachel there, where she basically saved me from two skeeves who had cornered me. Then my drug dealer, Frank, saved us by sending the two of them away. Rachel and I had such a great time that night. When I returned home all I did was think about Rachel, basically non-stop."

"You looked so adorable, Chloe. All flustered and shy whenever around me."

"Really, Chloe? You? Shy? I though I was the shy one."

"Rachel has an effect on me, Max. I can't help it. Well, it's stabilized a bit, but it's still there. What was I about to say? Oh yeah. A few days of awkwardly hanging out, Rachel dragged me into drama class and convinced me to go on a road trip with her. Skipping school, which I was totally cool with. To summarize, basically we found out that day that Rachel's dad was cheating on her mom. Or so we thought. I'll get back to this in a moment. Stuff happened, Rachel and I had a bit of a verbal fight, and it took a while before I found her again. She was crying and showed me a photograph of herself and her dad, which she set on fire. Then, after throwing the photograph away, the nearest tree caught fire and that started the major forest fire that you might have heard about."

"I do remember my mom and dad mentioning it to me, I would have never thought it was you two that caused it. Just wowser."

"You can say that again. The very next day, in Wells' office, I got suspended from school for skipping class, and Rachel lost her privileges and her role in the school play. She totally took the blame even when I tried to say it was all me. Somehow, a few days later, both Rachel and myself ended up performing in the school play anyway, I still don't know exactly _how_ that happened. But anyway, Rachel sort of proposed to me on stage, or so some people said. After it was over, we walked to her home, discussed our respective futures and Rachel told me she planned to run away from home. I totally told her I wanted to come with her, and we kissed. And I don't mean peck-on-the-cheek here, Max. A make out session under the street lights. We were both going to get tattoos, and bail from Arcadia Bay as soon as possible. However, our attempt to sneak into Rachel's home failed, and we ended up having a later dinner with her parents."

"My dad started preaching, and I totally lost it. I confronted him about that woman Chloe just told you about, and then we found out the truth. The woman was my real mother, and the woman who I thought was my mom, wasn't. If that makes sense, Max."

"Yeah, I think I get it. That must have hurt, Rachel. And Chloe was there for all of that?"

"Yes I was, Max. So when her dad was done telling all about it, Rachel went upstairs, and I followed her. I stayed the night. Rachel asked me to hold her, which I did. I told her I loved her, it was probably highly inappropriate, but the words simply escaped my lips. The next morning, we started drawing up a plan. We would leave, but not until we got our diploma's. Rachel packed a few bags, and I helped her bring those over to my place. She stayed with me for a few weeks, and one day her dad visited us and begged Rachel to come home. She told him he needed to talk to principal Wells to get me back in school. Imagine that, Rachel blackmailing her dad in order to help me, right in front of my mom. Rach, my mom will probably build you a monument one day for dragging my ass through school."

"We managed to contact my birth mother, after we discovered her address in my dad's office. We even visited her one weekend, driving over to Long Beach in the beaten down truck Chloe found in a junkyard. There hasn't been much contact since then, but we send pictures every now and then and keep her informed. I understand why she thought she couldn't be a good mother for me, she had a serious drug addiction. Speaking of drugs, Chloe, you were running errands for your dealer."

"I owed him a lot of money, for all the weed I bought from him on credit. He sent me to deliver packages and even collect money from some of his clients. One day I ran into Frank's business associate Damon, who threatened me to keep quiet about what I was doing. I told Rachel about it, and we agreed I had to get out of that situation. I owed Frank $1,200 which of course I didn't have."

"My dad was always giving me money, and I decided to help Chloe with it. I gave her the cash to pay off Frank and she did. We never saw him again."

"I have to admit, Rachel, I did not like the way he looked at you when we handed him the money. There was something in his eyes that told me he was up to no good. It scared me."

"Yeah, it was a weird look. I was hella glad when we left."

"I almost forgot to mention. The guy I used to hang out with, Eliot, he couldn't cope with the idea that I had ditched him for Rachel. He started stalking me for real. He spread rumors about Rachel, suggesting she was basically fucking everyone in school. It wasn't true, but it kind of became a _meme_ , and we just had to endure. But one day, he cornered me and started shouting abuse at me. I was hella scared that he might kidnap me, or worse. I told my step-dad David, and for once I was glad he is a paranoid fucker. Eliot had been posting messages on social media about how he was going to show everyone what he could do, and how someone had to pay the price for rejecting him. My step-dad intervened before he could act. He checked Eliot's locker, found a gun, and had him arrested. I honestly think Eliot was planning to kill me, or Rachel, or us both. Max, the lesson here is that sometimes a nice guy is a nice guy, but sometimes a guy is only nice in the beginning to get what he wants, and when he doesn't... shit goes down."

"Everything Chloe. Just... unbelievable. I never knew you were going through any of this, and I'm ashamed for being such a bad friend. I know, you just told me not to feel bad, but you know me, Chloe. Anyway... drugs... boyfriends... stalkers... guns... Rachel's story... all of it. It sounds like some kind of drama series. Maybe they should put your story on TV."

"I'll be very glad if they don't, Iron Max. Right now, all I want is to learn at university, and eventually graduate. And who knows, me and Rachel... I certainly have ideas."

"I think I have the same ideas, lady Price."

"I'm not a lady, Rach."

"We'll see, Chlo."

Max laughed out loud. The idea of _lady_ Chloe was likely funny to anyone who knew Chloe. "Anyway, Chloe, I'm glad you're still alive and well. Both of you in fact."

"Yeah, me too. You know, I still have nightmares about it, about Eliot killing us. Not as often as a year ago, but the bad dreams haven't quite gone away yet. I was scared shitless. I'm glad I have Rachel, I'm able to cope. As for Eliot, he's still in jail, the trial has been postponed. Back to our story, Rachel and I have done practically everything together since we met. My mom calls us hellraisers, my step-dou… I mean step-dad said we were like a two headed monster. With Rachel in my life, I started to feel joy again. As I mentioned before, Rachel saved me. She saved me, Max. She saved me from my boy-toy phase, saved me from depression, saved me in every way. She has filled the hole in my heart that my dad left behind when he died."

"Chloe saved me too. She held me whenever I had fits of anger. She made sure it didn't get the better of me. Without her, I would likely have exploded in rage at my dad quite a few times. Chloe is a great teacher, she gave me the strength to control my anger. And rather surprisingly, she helped me reconcile with my dad, despite that the two of them had hated each other. I once said that I wished my dad was dead. Chloe immediately chastised me for it. She said that no matter what he had done, no matter how big an asshole and liar he was, at least he could still change. And of course, Chloe knows how it feels when your dad is gone for good. I apologized to her for saying it."

"Max, it was the only time I ever was angry with Rachel. I nearly lost it. Thankfully we managed to work things out, and we've even managed a truce with her dad, as Rachel mentioned. He's getting used to the idea of his daughter being with me. Do you have any questions, Max?"

"There's no more? Oh well, I guess it's plenty for the time being. I'm sure I'll come up with many questions the next few days."

"I'm hella glad the three of us are right here, right now. Rachel, you and me. There is only one thing I want from here onwards. For us three to be hella best friends forever."

"We will be, Chloe. I want that too."

"And who knows, Max, maybe Rach and I can help you find that special someone... when you come here to study, which you will, we'll set you up. Boy, girl, whatever you want."

"I appreciate it, Chloe. But I gotta figure myself out first."

"Chloe and I want you to know that you will always be welcome here. No questions asked. I'm glad I've started to get to know you, and I can definitely see why Chloe is so fond of you."

"The future awaits us, Maxneto. The three of us are gonna kick the worlds ass. Now come here and let me hug you once more. You too, Rach. Group hug!"

_"I love you Rachel, I love you Max."_

 

* * *

 (To Max)

It seems we've weathered  
Hard times we've all been through  
In silence I've waited  
I've missed you (missed you too)  
  
'Cause you and I back together again  
We got the world in a spin

(To Rachel)  
  
Love will last forever  
We can make it real  
Say you'll leave me never  
We can truly feel  
  
We're together  
Baby I will be there till the end

(To both)

It's all come together  
Problems we've defeated  
I'm here heart in hand  
Bad times won't be repeated  
  
We've come full circle, us three are here to stay  
We will be best friends, come what may

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, I got some more ideas for one-shots (or two-shots such as this), wait and see how many I can bring to life, I don't promise anything. I suck at writing and lack discipline :-)
> 
> As for our girls, does anyone seriously doubt Chloe wouldn't take Max back in a second? Or Rachel in another universe? That's just who Chloe is. Hella forgiving and sentimental (that is a good thing, by the way).
> 
> I probably rambled on way too much about Chloe's life story, but I just couldn't help it I suppose. Keep it short and sweet, well maybe next time :-)
> 
> At the end I used some song lyrics that I completely rewrote in a lame way. Didn't know how else to end this. But I'm happy to imagine them being hella best friends forever.


End file.
